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UNIVI 


THE    FAMILY 

tiTRAWBERRY     PATCH 

and  the  way  to 
MAKE  IT  A  SUCCESS. 


Co)3yright  1911,  by  William  Boulton. 

ALPENA,     MICHIGAN. 

0 

Price  50  Cents. 


jl     , 


It'  >L(  =S 


STRAWBERRY    CULTURE. 
o 0 o 

Every  one,  fortunate  enough  to  possess  a 
garden,  should  have  a  portion  of  it  devoted 
to  the  growing  of  strawberries. 

The  family  strawberry  patch  should  be 
considered  the  most  important  part  of  the 
garden.  It  will  certainly  confer  the  most 
benefit  with  its  bounteous  gift  of  large  and 
luscious  strawberries. 

To  grow  strawberries  successfully  is  not 
very  difficult  and  does  not  require  an  expert 
gardener.  Any  person,  possessed  of  ordin- 
ary intelligence,  can  grow  the  big,  juicy, 
queen  of  fruits,  who  is  not  afraid  of  a  little 
labor  and  will  strictly  follow  a  few  simple 
rules,  but  these  rules  must  be  strictly  fol- 
lowed. They  are  not  many,  neither  are  they 
difficult  to  learn  and  master. 

It  is  the  object  of  this  little  book  to  tell 
the  amateur  gardener  hov/  the  absolute,  yet 
simple,  work  should  be  performed  to  attain 
success. 

This  is  not  a  scientific  treatise,  but  is  just 
merely  a  plain  and  sim^ple  statement  of  what 
a  person  must  do  in  order  to  be  successful 

36323 


Strawberry  Culture, 


with  the  little,   but  much   desired  garden 
straw  beri-y  patch. 

0 0 o 

THE    SOIL. 

The  first  thing  to  be  considered  is  the  soil. 
Now,  the  straw^berry  is  a  hardy  plant  and  it 
will  grow  and  produce  fruit  on  any  reason- 
ably fertile  soil,  but  it  does  better  on  some 
soils  than  on  others.     The  best  is  sandy  loam. 

A  person  can  not  always  select  the  best 
snL  He  has  to  use  such  as  his  garden  pro- 
vides. If  it  is  heavy  clay,  it  will  have  to  be 
lightered  by  prober  cultivation  and  the  use 
of  p'eity  of  barnyard  manure.  If  it  is 
light  sand,  it  must  also  have  an  iibundance 
of  barnyard  m.anure  to  m.ake  the  necessary 
liumus  and  also  to  make  the  light,  i)orous, 
sandy  soil  able  to  retain  both  the  plant  food 
and  the  mioisture.  It  should  also  be  com- 
pressed by  rolling. 

While  strawberry  plants  will  grow  and 
produce  fruit  en  almxst  any  kird  of  soil, 
even  among  grass,  yet  the  am.ount  cf  fruit 
]  reduced,  and  the  quality,  is  r.ot  such  as  is 


By  William  Eoulton. 


desired  or  profitable.  To  get  the  big,  juicy, 
delicious  fruits  and  abundance  of  them,  the 
plants  must  have  a  fertile  soil,  well  drainer?, 
and  well  cultivated,  such  as  is  generally 
termed  intensive  cultivation.  It  must  bo 
mellow  and  v/ell  mixed  with  the  plant  food 
that  a  strawberry  plant  needs  t )  do  its  best. 

A  soil  that  is  rich  enough  to  raise  a  good 
crop  of  potatoes  or  other  garden  vegetables, 
will  grovf  a  big  crop  of  stra,Vv^ berries.  The 
ground  should  not  be  too  rich,  but  consider- 
able phosphorous  and  potash  is  necessary. 

We  will  suppose  that  the  piece  of  ground 
selected  h^s  been  well  manured  and  a  crop  of 
potatoes  or  other  vegetables  has  been  grown 
upon  it  and  the  weeds  kept  down.  Now 
spread  over  that  tract  a  layer  of  well  rotted 
manure,  cow  manure  preferred,  to  a  depth 
of  at  least  one  inch,  and  scatter  over  it  a 
fertilizer,  containing  nitrogen,  phosphoric 
acid  and  potash,  at  the  rate  of  400  pounds 
to  the  acre.  ^ 

A  fertilizer  having  3  per  cent  of  nitrogen, 
7  per  cent  of  phosphoric  add,  and  9  percent 
of  potash,  will  be  about  the  right  composi- 


4.  Strawberry'  Culture. 


tion.  A  large  per  centege  of  nitrogen  is  not 
needed  in  strawberry  fertilizers,  as  it  would 
have  the  tendency  to  make  the  plants  run 
more  to  foliage  than  fruit. 

The  next  operation  is  to  dig  or  plow  the 
ground  and  give  it  several  cultivations  with 
a  wheel  hoe.  If  you  do  not  have  a  wheel 
hoe,  then  use  the  garden  rake  and  give  the 
surface  of  the  soil  a  good  raking,  so  that 
there  will  be  no  lumps  and  the  soil  will  be 
mellow  and  loose  enough  so  the  roots  can 
easily  push  their  passage  through  it. 

o 0 0 

MOISTURE. 

The  strawberry  plant  requires  plenty  of 
moisture,  yet  its  roots  must  not  be  in  stand- 
ing water.  There  must  be  sufficient  drain- 
rge  to  remove  all  the  surface  water  for 
several  inches  below  the  ground  surface, 
generally  termxed  standing  water. 

The  mxOisture,  that  is  in  the  subsoil,  must 
l:e  retdrcd,  so  that  the  plants  can  have  a 
j.e£ervoir  cf  water  to  draw  from  as  needed. 
The  subsoil  water  can  be  largely  retained  by 


By  William  Boulton.  5 

making  a  dust  mulch.  The  dust  mulch  is 
simply  the  ground  surface  that  has  been  m.ade 
very  fine,  to  a  depth  of  about  two  inches, 
with  a  rake  or  cultivator,  and  thus  becomes 
loose  and  dry.  It  prevents  what  is  termed 
capilliary  attraction  from  drawing  the  stor- 
age water  to  the  surface,  from  where  it 
would  be  absorbed  by  the  atmosphere  and 
thus  wasted. 

To  maintain  the  dust  mulch,  the  ground 
must  be  raked  or  cultivated  about  once  a 
week,  and  also  as  soon  after  a  heavy  r^in 
as  the  ground  will  permit.  A  heavy  rain 
makes  a  crust  on  the  ground,  and  the  ca- 
pilliary atiraetioii  goe^  to  work  to  draw  the 
storage  moisture  to  the  surface.  The  ground 
must  be  loosened  on  the  surface  after  a 
heavy  rain,  and  if  there  has  been  no  heavy 
rain,  the  raking  or  cultivating  must  be  done 
about  every  seven  days. 

To  preserve  the  storage  water  is  one  of 
the  most  important  acts  in  growing  straw- 
berry plants. 

Making  a  dust  mulch  also  tends,  to  a  great 
extent,  in  preventing  weeds  from  growing, 


Strawberry  Culture. 


for  as  the  surface  is  loose  and  dry  to  a  depth 
of  about  two  inches,  weed  seed  can  not 
sprout  for  lack  of  any  moisture.  The  dust 
mulch,  therefore,  does  two  very  necessary 
acts — it  prevents  a  waste  of  water  and  it 
prevents  weeds  from  g-rowing. 

READY  TO  PLANT. 

You  are  now  ready  to  set  out  the  straw- 
berry plants.  The  ground  has  teen  thorough- 
ly broken  by  the  spade  or  plow.  It  has  been 
frequently  cultivated,  and  the  soil  is  in  a 
mellow  condition,  Sufficient  manure  and 
fertilizer  has  been  spread  over  the  patch  and 
has  been  well  mixed  with  the  soil.  Al- 
ready the  chemistry  of  nature  has  begun 
the  important  work  cf  preparing  the  food 
for  the  plants,  so  that  it  will  be  in  a  good 
condition  for  the  roots  to  feed  upon.  The 
light  sandy  parts  have  been  rolled  to  com- 
press the  soil  and  prevent  leaching.  You 
have  kept  the  ground  surface  well  broken 
up,  making  a  fine  dust  mulch,  and  have  thus 
prevented  the  capilliary  attraction  from 
v/asting  the  stored  up  water.     There  is  not 


I;v  William  Boalcon. 


a  weed  to  be  seen  and  the  tin'e  has  arrived 
to  set  out  the  j^oung  and  thrifty  plants. 


KIND    OF    PLANTS    TO    GET. 

There  is  only  ore  kind  of  the  strawberry 
plants  that  should  be  used.  They  must  be 
from  thrifty  parents  and  be  free  from  dis- 
ease. 

Plants,  taken  from  a  bed  that  has  born 
fruit,  should  not  be  used,  because  such  are . 
not  vigorous  and  they  will  only  cause  failure 
and  disappointment.  The  plants  must  come 
from  parents  that  have  born  neither  blos- 
soms or  fruit.  The  reason  is  that  a  straw- 
berry plant  can  not  produce  blossotns^  and 
fruit  and  also  produce  strong  and  healthy 
plants.  It  has  not  sufficient  strength  to  do 
so.  It  is  one  of  the  most  important  facts 
you  must  keep  in  mind,  if  you  would  be  suc- 
cessful in  growing  big  crops  cf  fu  e  berries, 
and  you  must  not  forget  it. 

You  can  get  good,  healthy,  strawberry 
plants  from  any  reliable  nursery,  bat  do  not 
go  far  south  of  your  own  Lititude.     You  can 


8.  Strawberry  Culture. 

also  have  a  propogating  bed  and  grow  yovur 
own  strawberry  plants. 

The  kind  of  plants  you  use  is  one  of  the 
most  important  things  in  regard  to  being 
successful  in  growing  big  crops  of  large 
strawberries. 

There  are  two  distinct  series  of  straw- 
berry plants,  but  they  can  be  distinguished 
only  by  their  blossoms.  One  is  the  female, 
known  as  the  pistolate,  and  the  second  is 
the  male  plant,  known  as  the  bi-sexial. 

The  female  plant  has  only  pistils  in  her 
blossoms.  The  male  plant  has  both  pistils 
and  stamens  or  anthers. 

The  female  plant  is  therefore  unable  to 
fertilize  her  blossoms  with  polen  and  has  to 
depend  on  male  plants  for  the  necessary 
lX)len.  Without  the  fertilizing  polen  the 
female  plant  might  have  a  vigorous  growth 
and  abundance  of  blossoms,  but  would  have 
very  little  fruit,  and  what  she  had  would  be 
of  inferior  quality.  The  m.ale  plant  is  able 
tx)  fertilize  its  own  blossoms. 

Therefore,  in  making  a  bed  of  strawberry 
1 -kints,   you  -.nust  not  plant  all   female  or 


By  William  Boulton.  9. 


pistilate  varieties.  You  must,  without  fail, 
plant  both  male  and  female,  in  rows  parall- 
el to  each  other,  and  not  far  distant, 

In  making  your  strawberry  bed,  it  is  a 
good  plan  to  use  both  kinds,  because  the 
female  plant  does  not  have  to  use  a  great 
deal  of  her  strength  in  producing  polen,  and 
can  thus  devote  her  whole  strength  to  plant 
growth  and  fruiting,  while  the  male  plant 
will  supply  the  necessary  polen. 

There  are  numerous  kinds  of  strawberry 
plants,  as  regards  the  fruit.  Some  are  early; 
some  are  medium,  and  others  are  late,  and 
each  grower  will  J;iave  to  decide  which  is  the 
best  for  his  purpose.  Some  kinds  do  well  on 
one  kind  of  soil,  and  others  flourish  on  other 
kinds  of  soil.  Study  the  catalogues  of  the 
strawberry  plant  propagators,  but  (do  not 
beheve  all  they  claim  for  their  plants. 

If  you  know  of  any  one  who  is  growing- 
strawberries  successfully  in  your  neighbor- 
hood, ascertain  from  him  what  kinds  of 
plants  do  best  in  the  region  you  live  in. 

If  you  are  not  able  to  get  the  necessary 
information,    we  would  suggest  that    you 


10.  Strawberry  Culture. 

select  an  early  kind  of  the  male  species,  and 
set  out  one  row,  which  ought  not  to  be  less 
than  25  feet  in  length,  for  a  family  straw- 
berry patch.  Then  set  two  rows  of  Warfield, 
then  a  row  of  Dunlaps,  after  which  you  can 
set  out  a  row  or  two  of  a  late  kind. 

Some  male  plants  have  but  little  polen, 
while  others  have  it  in  abundance.  Be  sure 
and  get  good,  thrifty  plants  and  be  positive 
that  they  are  not  ^11  -of  the  female  variety. 

There  is  another  thing  to  be  considered. 
What  kind  of  fruit  do  you  prefer?  Remem- 
ber that  you  are  going  to  grow  strawberries 
for  yourself  and  family.  Some  plants  pro- 
duce bright  red  berries;  others  are  dark  red 
and  some  are  still  different.  Some  berries 
are  sweet;  some  slightly  acid,  and  some  are 
very  acid  in  their  taste.  Which  do  you  pre- 
fer? "  Decide  that  question  before  you  order 
your  plants.  The  propagator's  catalogue 
will  gi^e  you  full  infonriatlon  in  regard  to 
the  color,  taste,  sex,  and  other  information 
desired. 

Do  not  deal  with  a  strawlerry  plant  grow- 
er unless  you  have  every  reason   to  belie s'e 


By  V/illiam  Boulton.  11. 

he  is  reliable.  Pay  him  his  price.  Most  of 
the  prices,  from  reliable  grov/ers  of  strawr 
berry  plants,  range  from  25  cents  to  75  cents 
for  25  plants.  By  50  or  100  plant  lots  they 
are  less  per  plant. 


,      MARKING    THE    GROUND. 

The  next  thing  is  to  mark  th^  ground  so 
that  the  plants,  when  set  out,  will  be  in  line 
two  ways. 

The  rows  for  the  garden  patch  should  be 
SO  inches  apart.  For  field  culture  the  di&r 
tance  between  the  rows  is  greater,  to  permit 
of  a  horse  being  used  to  draw  the  cultivator. 

In  the  row,  the  plants  should  be  set  at  a 
distance  of  18  inches  from  each  other,  for 
the  garden  patch,  which,  after  the  double 
hedge  row  has  been  made,  will  leave  all  the 
plants,  including  the  four  runner  plants  and 
their  mother  plant,  at  a  distance  of  six  inr 
dies  from  each  other  in  each  row. 

'riie  marking  is  done  by  a  v/heeled  rig,  or 
by  a  sort  of  sled,  which,  being  drawn  over 
the  ground,  leaves  three  or  more  marks  on 


12.  Strawberry  Culture. 

the  soil,  the  length  of  the  plot,  and  distant 
from  each  other  30  inches,  The  marker  is 
then  arranged  to  mark  at  distances  of  18 
inches,  and  drawn  at  right  angles  to  the  30 
inch  ones. 

Where  the  marks  cross  each  other  is  the 
place  where  the  plants  should  be  set.  That 
method  arranges  your  plants  in  straight  lines 
both  lengthways  and  crossways. 

Several  benefits  are  derived  from  setting 
the  plants  in  straight  lines.  It  is  very  much 
easier  to  cultivate  them.  You  can  also  cross 
cultivate  them  until  the  new  plants  set,  and 
it  presents  a  pleasing  and  workmanlike  ap- 
pearance.    Do  not  have  crocked  rows. 

For  marking  the  rows  for  your  little  gar- 
den strawberry  patch,  a  much  more  simple 
plan  can  be  used.  Get  a  garden  string  and 
a  stick  18  inches  in  length.  Drive  a  stake  at 
each  end  of  the  first  row  and  stretch  the 
string  from  one  stake  to  the  other.  Set 
the  plants  right  under  the  string  and  use  the 
18  inch  stick  to  designate  the  distance  the 
plants  are  to  be  set  apart.  Then  move  the 
stakes  30  inches,  and  thus  continue  until  all 


By  William  Boulton.  13. 

the  rows  of  your  little  stravv^berry  patch  are 
planted. 


TRIMMING    THE    PLANTS. 

You  are  now  ready  to  set  out  your  straw- 
berry plants.  In  the  northern  states  the 
only  time  to  set  out  strawberry  plants  is  in 
the  spring,  just  as  soon  as  the  ground  can 
be  got  ready. 

If  the  plants  are  set  out  in  the  fall,  they 
will  not  have  grown  sufficient  roots  to  enable 
them  to  winter  in  safety,  therefo're  do  not 
set  out  your  plants  in  the  fall.  The  spring 
is  the  only  safe  time  to  set  out  the  plants 
in  the  northern  states. 

Your  ground  is  ready,  and  it  is  in  beauti- 
ful condition.  The  soil  is  mellow  to  a  depth 
of  eight  inches.  It  has  a  fine  surface,  and 
is  free  from  lumps.  It  has  plenty  of  avail- 
able food  for  the  plants  to  feed  upon,  and 
])elow  the  surface  there  is  a  good  storage  of 
moisture. 

The  plants  have  arrived  from  a  reliable 
grower,  and  they  are  in  good  condition,  hav- 


14.  Strawberry  Culture. 


ing  plenty  of  roots  and  being  well  protected 
with  moss  to  keep  them  from  drying  up. 

Now  indelibly  impress  on  your  mind  a  very 
important  fact  regarding  strawberry  plants. 
Yoa  must  not  let  the  roots  get  dry,  because, 
if  the  roots  get  dry,  you  might  as  well  throw 
the  plants  away,  for  their  chance  of  living 
is  very  slight.  Therefore  be  exceedingly 
careful  not  to  expose  them  to  sunlight  or  to 
the  wind. 

Get  a  small  basket,  one  that  will  hold 
about  a  peck.  Place  a  damp  newspaper  in 
the  bottom.  Then  put  in  the  plants  and 
cover  with  another  dampened  newspaper. 

Before  you  take  the  plants  to  the  garden 
patch,  you  must  trim  the  plants  and  roots. 
Take  a  plant  in  your  left  hand,  grasping  it 
just  below  the  crown.  Notice  how  long  the 
roots  are.  If  you  were  to  plant  it  in  the 
shape  it  came  from  the  nursery,  you  would 
n3t  be  able  to  set  it  in  the  grou ad,  without 
having  the  roots  bent  or  doubled.  You  can 
see  that  fact  from  the  length  and  number  of 
tie  roots  of  the  thoroughbred  plant  in  your 
iiand.  It  must  be  trimn:ed. 
.    With  a  pair  of  sher.rs  cut  cu  all  the  old 


Bv  William  Boulton.  15 


runners  and  dead  leaves  and  i  11  the  live  ones 
except  just  one.  Let  the  leaf,  yo.i  leave  on 
the  plant,  be  the  bast  one.  Now  cut  off  all 
the  roots  about  an  inch  below  your  hand, 
and  the  plant  is  then  ready  to  be  set  in  the 
ground.  The  trimming  must  be  done  undex' 
cover.  On  no  account  do  it  out  doors,  for 
fear  of  dryir  g  the  roots. 

There  are  two  good  reasons  for  trimming 
off  the  ends  of  the  roots.  First,  i  t  permits 
the  planting  of  the  stravf berry  plant  without 
having  any  of  the  roots  doubled  up.  Second, 
it  permits  the  cut  ends  to  callous  and  throw 
out  numerous  laterals  or  feeders.  In  other 
words  trimming  the  roots  causes  the  plant 
to  grow  more  feeding  roots. 

For  setting  out  strawberry  plants,  there 
is  nothing  better  than  the  strawberry  dib- 
ble. There  are  various  kinds  of  dibbles,  but 
the  strav/berry  dibble  is  made  of  steel,  te^n 
inches  long  and  four  irches  vnde,  without 
including  the  handle,  and  weighs  nearly  two 
pounds.  The  bevel  at  the  lower  end  is 
ground  sharp.     It  retails  a   ^v>  cents. 

The  use  of  the  dibble  permits  you  to  set 


16.  Slrawberry  Culture. 

the  plant  v/ithout  withdrawing  it.  It  pre- 
vents the  dirt  from  falling  back  into  the 
hole  you  have  just  made.  It  does  not  allow 
the  soil  to  dry  and  it  makes  a  sufficiently 
large  hole  to  allow  the  plant  to  be  easily  and 
properly  set  in  its  place. 

If  you  can  not  get  a  dibble,  use  a  spade, 
or  make  one  out  of  a  piece  of  maple  board. 
The  wooden  one  can  be  used  where  the 
ground  is  not  heavy  clay  or  stony. 

Take  the  dibble  in  your  right  hand  and 
stick  it  straight  down  into  the  soil,  just  in 
froat  of  you,  to  the  depth  of  the  blade.  It 
is  easily  done,  as  it  hes  a  sharp  point  and 
edges.  Then  press  the  dibble  from  you  and 
make  a  "V*^  shaped  hole,  which  will  be 
about  four  inches  wide  at  the  top.  Keep 
the  dibble  pressed  against  the  dirt  to  keep 
it  from  falling  into  and  filling  up  the  hole. 
Now,  with  your  left  hand,  get  a  plant  from 
the  covered  basket.  Give  it  a  slight  shake, 
t3  straighten  the  roots,  rrd  place  it  in  the 
l\ole  made  by  the  dibble.  Spread  the  roots 
out  fan  shape,  and  let  them  rest  against  the 
^Ide  of  the  hole  res  rest  you.     The  crown  of 


Bv  Wiiliam  Boulton.  17, 


the  plant  must  be  just  above  the  surface  <j-' 
the  ground.  Now  remove  the  dibb'e  aiiJl 
the  dirt  will  fall  against  the  roots,  just  set. 
Then  press  the  dirt  so  that  it  v/iil  be  nrni 
against  the  roots. 

The  packing  of  the  dirt  against  the  roots 
is  very  important,  as  it  gives  the  roots  a 
better  chance  to  commence  feeding,  and  al- 
so improves  their  ability  to  get  moisture. 

One  good  way  to  pack  the  soil  about  the 
roots  is  to  place  your  feet,  one  on  each  side 
of  the  plant,  and  your  v/eight  will  be  suffi- 
cient to  pack  the  f^  oil. 

The  crown  must  not  be  buried,  neither 
must  the  roots  show  above  the  surface. 

Roots  exposed  to  the.  sun  and  wind  dry 
and  the  result  is  death  to  the  plant  or  it  is 
permanently  damaged.  Put  all  the  other 
plants  in  the  same  way  and  18  inches  apart. 

Bending  down  is  not  the  easiest  kind  of 
work  for  a  grown  person,  and  you  will  find 
it  to  your  advantage  to  attach  a  cap  to  your 
knee,  of  some  waterproof  material,  and  then 
when  you  are  ready  to  use  the  dibble,  drop 
on  one  knee. 


18.  Strawberry  Cuiiure. 

When  the  row  is  finished  you  can  change 
labor  by  taking-  a  rake  and  smoothing  the 
ground  along  the  row  last  planted,  removing 
all  signs  of  your  feet  marks,  and  leaving  the 
surface  in  good  condition  to  form  a  dust 
mulch.  Now  go  on  and  do  the  remainder 
of  the  rows  in  the  same  way. 

When  the  planting  is  finished,  and  it  will 
not  take  you  very  long  to  set  all  the  plants 
in  your  little  patch,  you  can  then*  view  the 
scene  with  pleasure  and  satisfaction,  know- 
ing that  you  have  done  good  work. 

You  have  prepared  the  ground  properly. 
It  is  mellow  and  has  plenty  of  plant  food  and 
moisture.  You  have  planted  first  class 
thoroughbred  plants,  free  from  disease  or 
plant  v/eakness.  There  are  no  weeds  to  be 
seen,  and  the  surface  has  been  raked  fine, 
forming  a  dust  mulch,  which  prevents  ca- 
pilliary  attraction  from  exhausting  the  under 
surface  of  moisture.  Along  the  various, 
rows,  at  intervals  of  18  inches,  you  can  see 
the  tiny  green  leaves  of  the  plants. 

There  is  now  no  more  work  to  be  done,  for 
t.t  lcc.st  a  v/eek,  unless  a  heavy  rain  ccnies 


By  William  Boulton.  19. 

and  makes  a  hard  crust  on  the  .rround  sur- 
face. That  crust  must  be  broken  as  soon 
as  you  can — that  is,  when  the  ground  hr.s 
dried  sufficiently  to  permit  the  rake  or  the 
wheel  hand  cultivator  to  loosen  the  crust  and 
restore  the  dust  mulch.  The  crust  breaking- 
must  not  be  done  when  the  ground  is  muddy. 


ONLY    ONE    LEAF. 

Why  are  all  the  leaves  cut  off  except  one? 
Why  not  leave  all  the  foliage  on  the  plant 
when  it  was  set  in  the  ground? 

The  reason  for  cutting  off  all  the  leaves, 
except  one,  is  that  the  young  plant  will  have 
to  be  in  the  ground  for  some  time  before  its 
roots  are  able  to  take  plant  food  and  moisture 
from  the  soil,  and  during  that  time  the  plant 
has  to  feed  upon  itself. 

The  plant  must  have  a  leaf  in  order  to 
live,  because  leaves  are  as  necessary  as  are 
the  roots,  but  the  more  leaves,  the  more 
substance  required  from  the  roots,  and  there- 
fore it  is  necessary  to  remove  all  the  leaves 


Strawberry  Culture.  20. 

»except  those  that  are  actually  needed  for  the 
plant's  existence.  One  leaf  will  do  the  work 
required,  but  the  plant  must  have  one. 


PwEMOVE    THE    BUDS. 

Sometime  after  planting,  j^ou  will  notice 
that  the  new  plants  have  produced  fruit  buds 
and  many  of  them.  They  must  be  removed. 
This  is  very  important,  for  on  the  removal 
of  the  buds  depends  the  success  of  your 
plants.     It  must  not  be  neglected. 

V*Tiy  remove  the  buds  from  the  plants? 

Because  the  young  plants  have  not  suffi- 
cient roots  and  foliage  to  properly  sustain 
the  plant,  grow  runners,  and  also  produce 
blossoms,  polen  and  fruit. 

The  plants  have  been  in  the  ground  but  a 
short  time,  and  what  roots  they  have  are 
reeded  exclusively  to  maintain  a  vigorous 
grov/th  of  the  plant.  To  increase  its  burden, 
by  rdding  the  exhausting  work  of  producing 
blosscms  and  fruit,  is  mali ag  it  do  more 
llian  it  is  able  to  do,  and  the  result  is  the 


By  William  Bjulton.  21. 


same  as  if  you  were  to  make  a  child  do  a 
man's  labor. 

The  plant  would  be  so  exhausted  by  its 
double  labor  that  it  would  be  permanently 
disabled.  The  final  result  would  be  that  it 
would  not  produce  a  good  crop  of  fruit  and 
it  would  produce  v/eak  offsprings, 

The  entire  work  of  roots  and  leaves  must 
be  devoted,  the  first  year,  to  making  a  strong 
and  vigorous  mother  plant  and  her  runners. 
Therefore  do  not  fail  to  remove  the  bud?. 
Do  so  before  the  buds  develop  into  blossoms 

The  buds  can  be  easily  remioved  by  pinch- 
ing them  off  with  the  thumb  and  forefinger, 
or  a  pair  of  sheers  can  be  used.  The  first 
plan  is  the  best,  and  you  can  do  the  v/ork  in 
your  little  patch  in  a  few^  m.inutes.  You  can 
not  get  all  the  buds  the  fxrst  time  going  over 
the  patch,  and  you  must  afterwards  keep 
close  watch  and  when  you  see  a  bunch  cf 
the  fruit  buds,  or  a  blossom,  be  sure  and  re- 
move them. 

The  plants  m.ust  have  the  exclusive  use  of 
the  ground,  and  their  progress  mtirt  not  be 
hindered  by  v/eeds,  bads,  blossoms  o:  fruit. 


22.  Strawberry  Culture. 


If  you  are  anxious  to  see  what  kind  of 
fruit  your  plants  will  bare,  you  can  leave  a 
few  blossoms  on  two  or  three  plants. 


ARRANGING    THE    RUNNERS. 

The  next  important  operation  is  attending 
to  the  new  runners, 

You  are  going  to  form  what  is  termed  the 
double  hedge  row,  because  that  is  the  best 
v^  ay  to  grow  strawberry  plants,  in  order  to 
get  big  crops  of  juicy  berries. 

The  double  edge  row  system  of  laying  the 
new  plants,  consists  in  allowing  the  mother 
plant  to  produce  but  four  runners,  or  new 
Ijlants,  and  all  the  rest  are  considered  the 
same  as  weeds  and  cut  off. 

A  double  edge  row  would  look  as  follows 
when  completed: 

12         12         12 

.  M  M  M 

3        4         3        4         3        4 

The  letter  ''M''  represents  the  mother 
plants  and  the  figures  1,  2,  3,  4,   the  four 


By  William  Boulton.  23. 

new  plants.  You  have  now  three  rows,  in- 
stead of  one,  and  each  will  be  about  six. 
inches  apart. 

The  plants,  you  set  out  in  the  spring,  are 
called  the  mother  plants,  and  their  offsprings 
are  the  runners  or  new  plants.  They  are  to 
be  arranged  so  that  each  plant  will  be  about 
six  inches  from  the  mother  plant,  and  the 
same  distance  from  each  other.  That  dis- 
tance apart  gives  each  plant  sufficient  room 
and  plenty  of  territory  to  draw  nourishment 
and  moisture  from.  It  also  allows  plenty  of 
sunlight  to  get  to  the  plants  and  fruit,  and 
yet  the  plants,  if  in  proper  condition,  will 
furnish  sufficient  shade  for  the  fruit. 

If  the  plants  are  allowed  to  run  at  random 
and  fill  up  the  space,  there  will  be  such  a 
great  dem.and  on  the  soil  for  nourishment 
and  moisture,  that  they  can  not  be  furnish- 
ed, and  the  result  wiiT  be  a  lot  of  small  and 
undesirable  berries. 

Some  of  the  runners  are  long  and  some 
are  short,  and  thus  you  will  have  to  place 
the  new  plants  where  you  want  them,  and 
not  let  the  runners  zet  '"^^ 


24.  Strawberry  Culture. 


The  little  plant,  at  the  end  of  a  runner, 
is  called  a  node,  and  you  will  frequently 
find  that  it  has  difficulty  in  getting  its  roots 
into  tl  e  ground,  especially  if  dry  weather 
and  cultivation  has  made  the  surface  dry. 
la  that  case,  place  the  young  plant  where 
you  want  it,  and  then  place  a  little  dirt  on 
the  runner,  just  back  of  the  node,  to  hold  it 
cown.  That  mode  of  anchoring  it  will  keep 
the  wind  from  blowing  it  away  from  the 
spot  selected  for  its  home,  and  wii!  also  help 
it  to  get  its  roots  into  the  ground. 

If  it  should  happen  that  some  of  the 
mother  plants  have  died,  or  been  killed  by 
insects,  then  let  the  new  plant  send  out  its 
runner  and  thus  fill  up  the  gap . 

Af  ;er  a  new  plant  has  got  its  roots  firmly 
fixed  in  the  ground,  it  does  not  need  any 
n:ore  assistance  from  the  miother  plant,  and 
the  stem,  t?;at  connects  the  two,  can  be  cut 
Vvithout  doing  any  injury. 

It  is  not  absolutely  necessary  to  cut  the 
stem  and  separate  the  mother  from  her  olT- 
spring,  but  by  doing  so,  you  will  find  it  much 
more  easier  to  work  the  pointed  hoe  be- 


By  William  Boulton.  25. 

tween  the  plants,  as  the  runners,  if  not  cut, 
would  catch  the  hoe  and  prevent  thorough 
work. 

o 0 0 

PROPAGATING    BED. 

If  you  desire  to  grow  your  own  plants, 
for  setting  out  the  next  spring,  do  not  re- 
move any  of  the  new  runner  plants  at  the 
ends  of  the  row,  for  a  distance  of  three  or 
five  feet,  according  as  to  the  number  of 
plants  you  will  want.  Let  both  the  mother 
plants  and  the  new  plants  make  all  the  run- 
ners they  can,  and  when  they  are  through, 
the  space  between  the  rovv^s  will  be  almost 
covered  with  plants. 

From  that  mass  of  plants  you  can  dig 
what  you  need  the  next  year. 

That  part  of  the  strawberry  patch  would 
be  the  propagating  bed  or  nursery. 

During  the  latter  part  of  the  autumn,  you 
should  cease  the  work  of  cultivating,  for 
this  reason :  Cultivating  the  ground  permits 
the  air  to  enter,  and  it  causes  the  chemical 


Str:i^berry  Calture. 


agents  of  nature  to  work  vigorously,  with 
the  result  of  increasing  the  plant  growth. 
Now,  by  that  time,  your  intensive  mode  of 
cultivation  has  caused  a  satisfactory  growth 
of  the  plants,  and  what  you  want  now  is  to 
have  the  plants  produce  plenty  of  crowns. 

The  crowns  are  produced  in  the  fall,  and 
they  can  be  greatly  assisted  by  delaying  the 
plant  growth.  It  is  best  done  by  <:easing 
cultivation. 

You  have  done  such  good  work  during  the 
summer,  that  the  v/eeds  have  been  kept  oiit 
of  the  patch,  and  there  is  very  httle  chance 
for  the  weeds  to  grow  so  late  in  tlie  year. 
Therefore  you  can  safely  cease  battling 
against  the  weeds  until  next  spring. 

0—1-0 0 

MULCHING. 

As  soon  as  the  ground  is  frozen,  you  must 
cover  the  entire  patch  with  straw,  which  is 
the  best  thing  you  can  use  for  a  protector. 
If  you  can  not  get  straw,  get  marsh  hay, 
but  keep  in  mind  the  plants  m.ust  be  covered. 


By  William  Boalton.  27. 


The  straw  should  be  about  two  inches  tl.ick 
all  over  the  patch. 

Freezing  alone  does  not  injure  the  plants. 
It  is  the  frequent  thawing  and  freezing  in 
the  spring  that  does  the  injury.  The  thay/- 
ing  and  freezing  raises  the  plants  out  of  the 
ground  and  breaks  the  roots,  resulting  in  the 
destruction  or  injury  to  the  plants. 

Even  if  they  survive,  they  will  be  of  very 
little  benefit  to  you  as  fruit  ^.roducers,  and 
that  is  v/hat  you  have  labored  so  hard  for, 
plenty  of  big  juicy  berries. 

There  are  two  other  good  reasons  for  cov- 
ering the  ground  wth  straw.  It  serves  as  a 
mulch  to  keep  down  the  weeds  and  preserve 
the  stored  moisture,  and  it  has  a  tendency 
to  keep  the  ground  frozen  until  the  change- 
able weather  in  the  spring  is  over. 

If  the  reasons  stated  did  not  exist,  you 
would  still  have  to  cover  the  ground  with 
straw.  If  you  had  no  straw  on  the  grounct, 
every  rain,  during  the  fruiting  time,  would 
splash  mud  over  the  berries,  and  you  W.d 
not  like  to  eat  strawberries  seasoned  witn 
sand  and  mud.    Tlierefore  the  ground  must 


28.  Strawberry  Culture. 


be  covered  with  straw  at  berry  picking  time, 
so  the  fruit  will  be  clean.  It  is  very  impor- 
tant and  must  not  be  neglected. 

In  the  patch  that  is  well  mulched  with 
straw,  you  can  go  to  it  right  after  a  heavy 
rain  and  pick  berries  free  from  dirt.  Bare 
in  mind  that  it  is  not  the  proper  thing  to 
pick  berries  when  they  are  wet,  unless  you 
desire  a  few  for  immediate  use. 

You  can  not  ship  wet  berries  without  hav- 
ing them  spoiled. 

Now  be  sure  and  cover  your  entire  straw- 
berry patch  with,  at  the  least,  two  inches  of 
straw,  as  soon  as  the  ground  is  frozen. 

It  will  not  do  to  cover  the  plants  until  the 
ground  is  frozen,  as  it  would  injure  them, 
and  be  liable  to  smother  them.  Wait  until 
v/inter  has  put  the  plants  to  sleep  before  you 
spread  their  bed  clothes  on. 

o- 0 0 

REMOVING    THE    MULCH. 

When  spring  comes  and  the  frosts  are  out 
of  the  ground,  just  take  a  look  at  your 
strawberry    plants,    and  if  you  see  them 


By  William  Boulton. 


sending  out  above  the  surface  their  ^r^en 
leaves,  you  will  know  the  time  for  action  hais 
again  arrived. 

You  must  then  remove  the  straw  hon 
above  the  plants,  so  they  can  see  daylight, 
but  do  not  remove  any  of  the  straw  from  b  - 
tween  the  cows.  This  is  very  important, 
because  the  plants  can  not  be  expected  to 
thrive  when  covered  with  straw.  Beside-s 
the  danger  of  smothering  the  plants,  when 
beneath  a  heavy  covering,  it  is  necessary  to 
remove  the  covering  to  make  them  hardy 
^nd  not  get  bleached. 

The  straw  can  be  retnoved  from  off  the 
plants  with  a  rake  or  a  fork,  but  use  them 
with  great  care,  so  as  not  to  pull  up  any  of 
the  plants.  The  ground  being  soft,  at  that 
season  of  the  year,  it  is  easy  to  pull  out  a 
plant. 

Do  not  walk  up  and  down  the  rows  any 
more  than  is  actually  necessary,  because 
walking  on  the  moist  ground  will  pack  it 
hard. 

If  you  v/ish  to  loosen  the  ground,  after  the 
plants  have  got  a  good  growth,  and  th:;  soil 


Stra^Aberry  Culture. 


is  somewhat  dried,  you  can  move  the  straw 
from  the  center  of  the  rows  and  pile  it 
against  the  plants.  Then  run  the  cultivator 
up  the  center  of  the  row,  but  do  not  go  close 
to  the  plants,  for  fear  of  cutting  roots,  and 
then  replace  the  straw  back  to  its  place. 

That  will  not  only  loosen  and  mellow  the 
ground  but  v/ill  admit  the  air  to  set  the 
chemical  agents  to  work  more  vigorously. 

In  the  spring  you  v/ill  set  out  your  second 
bed,  the  same  v/ay  as  you  did  the  first,  and 
then  there  is  but  little  to  do  until  the  time 
comes  to  gather  the  fruit,  except  to  remove 
any  weeds  that  may  show  themselves. 

o 0 o 

THE  WORK  YOU  HAVE  DONE. 

While  you  are  waiting  patiently  and  eager- 
ly for  the  ripening  of  the  big,  juicy  berries, 
you  naturally  look  back,  mentally,  over  the 
past  year  and  review  your  labor. 
.  You  first  enriched  the  soil  by  covering  it 
with  stable  manure  to  the  depth  of  at  least 


By  William  Bot^ten.  ei. 

one  inch,  and  you  furnished  an  admirable 
assistant  in  the  shape  of*  f  ertilizer  at  the  rate 
of  400  pounds  to  the  acre,  containing  three 
per  cent  of  nitrogen,  seven  per  cent  of  phcs- 
poric  acid,  and  nine  per  cent  of  j^otassium. 

You  did  not  need  a  large  per  cent  of  ni- 
trogen, because  the  strav/berry  plant  does 
not  require  as  much  mere  plant  as  do  many 
kinds  of  vegetables,  but  it  does  require  con- 
siderable phosphoric  acid  and  potash  to  pro- 
duce fine,  large  and  well  colored  berries. 

You  then  procured  fii*st  class  thoroughbred 
plants,  that  you  knew  were  free  from  any 
disease  and  came  from  strong,  healthy  and 
vigorous  mother  plants,  because  you  obtain- 
ed them  from  a  reliable  grower.  You  were 
careful  not  to  set  out  plants  that  were  taken 
from  fruit  bearing  beds  and  were  thus  of  a 
weak  nature. 

You  trimmed  the  plants  properly,  set 
them  in  the  ground  correctly,  and  then  kid 
them  so  that  the  roots  were  not  doubkd  or 
bent,  and  that  the  mellow  and  v/ell  culti- 
vated soil  was  firmly  pressed  against  tliem. 

You  picked  off  all  the.  fruit  buds,  so  that 


32.  Strawberry  Culture. 

the  entire  growth  should  go  towards  the 
building  up  of  vigorous  plants,  and  you  did 
not  weaken  them  by  making  them  do  more 
work  than  they  were  able  to  do  in  their 
infancy, 

You  kept  down  the  >veeds,  so  that  the 
plants  would  not  have  to  share  the  supply 
of  nutriment  and  moisture  with  thieving  and 
unwelcome  grafters,  and  your  strawberry 
plants  had  the  entire  resources  of  the  ground 
in  their  vicinity,  to  themselves  and  for  their 
sole  use. 

You  maintained  a  dust  mulch,  and  thus 
kept  your  pets  from  suffering  from  thirst 
during  the  droughts  of  summer  and  fall. 

You  arranged  the  runners  in  double  edge 
row  and  saw  that  the  plants  w^ere  at  least 
six  inches  from  each  other,  and  then  cut  off 
the  surplus  runners. 

Wlien  the  ground  was  frozen,  you  covered 
the  entire  patch  about  two  inches  deep  with 
nice  wheat  straw,  and  in  the  spring  you  re- 
moved such  straw  as  was  directly  above  the 
plants,  £0  they  would  not  get  bleached,  in- 
jured or  Vv^eakened. 


By  Yvilliam  Boulton. 


The  last  thing  j'^ou  did  was  to  loosen  the 
soil  and  remove  v/hat  fev/  weeds  appeared, 
and  it  does  your  eyes  good  to  gaze  on  the 
large,  well  developed,  healthy  plants,  with 
their  loads  of  green  berries,  some  of  which 
are  beginning  to  show  a  beautiful  red  color, 
a  sure  sign  that  the  much,  longed  for  time 
is  near  at  hand  when  you  can  have  a  royal 
feast  of  the  queen  of  fruits. 

Yes,  you  have  faithfully  done  your  part  of 
the  contract  and  the  strawberry  plants  are 
now  sure  to  do  their  part. 

0 0— — o 

PICKING    THE    FRUIT. 

And  now  the  time  has  arrived  when  you 
are  to  be  well  rewarded  for  your  care,  labor 
and  expense. 

The  berries  have  begun  to  ripen,  and  the 
big,  red,  juicy  fruits  are  nestling  amjd  the 
dark  green  leaves,  making  a  pretty  picture, 
and  bringing  to  your  mind  visions  of  straw- 
berries and  cream  and  the  big  and  delicious 
strawberry  shortcake. 


i.  Strawberry  Culture. 


The  berries  must  be  picked  properly.  You 
clo  not  want  a  lot  of  bruised  and  mashed 
berries  on  your  table.  In  picking  them  do 
not  squeeze  the  fruit,  because  a  little  press 
of  the  fingers  will  bruise  them;  they  are  so 
jiicy. 

Take  hold  of  the  stem,  about  half  an  inch 
from  the  berry,  and  with  your  thumb  and 
fore  finger  nails  cut  off  the  stem.  It  is  very 
easily  done,  and  you  will  scon  learn  the 
kni.ck  of  picking  the  fruit  in  the  right  way. 
Ee  careful  and  do  not  injure  the  stem  of  the 
lunch,  or  you  will  spoil  all  the  berries  on  it. 

To  hold  the  fruit,  when  picked,  you  should 
buy  or  make  a  carrying  tray.  It  will  hold 
four  cne  quart  baskets,  and  is  easy  to  carry 
i.bcut  the  patch..  In  one  box  place*the  very 
1-^rge  ones — the  giants  of  their  species,  to 
I  e  used  as  presents  to  particular  friends  and 
for  swell  ocean ons  at  your  own  table.  In 
two  other  baskets  place  all  the  rest  of  the 
good  strawberries,  and  in  the  fourth  basket 
put  the  few  small  ones  and  those  that  are 
only  partly  developed,  for  there  will  be  a 
few  of  the  pistilate  kind  that  have  not  been 


By  William  Bcuiton. 


fertilized  hy  polen  from  the  male  phruts, 
and  are  imperfect. 

As  you  plante<I  very  early,  medium  early, 
late,  and  very  late  species  of  plants,  youi' 
strawberry  season  will  last  for  at  least  20 
days,  and  during  that  time  you  can  pick  many 
quarts  of  the  big,  juicy  berries  every  day. 

For  nearly  a  month  your  table  will  be  sup- 
plied with  the  choicest  fruit  that  grows  on 
the  earth,  and  what  will  give  you  added 
pleasure,  is  the  knowledge  that  it  is  the  re- 
sult of  your  own  labor.  You  do  not  now 
have  any  regrets  for  the  labor  and  money 
expended. 

o 0 o 

SPECIES    DIFFER. 

You  will  also  find  considerable  difference 
among  the  various  kinds,  in  regard  to  the 
way  they  produce  fruit.  Some  have  long 
and  firm  stems,  that  hold  the  bunches  of 
berries  well  above  the  ground.  Some  have 
weak  stems  and  their  fruit  lays  on  the 
straw.     Others  will  have  their  berries  well 


Strawberry  Culture. 


scattered  among  the  leaves  and  cunningly 
hidden  amid  the  foliage.  Before  you  lies  a 
big  bunch  of  berries.  Lift  it  gently,  so  as 
not  to  break  the  stem,  and  often  you  will 
be  surprised  to  find  underneath,  where  they 
were  hidden  from  sight,  several  big,  juicy 
berries. 

While  you  are  picking  your  berries,  keep 
a  clcse  watch  on  the  many  green  bunches, 
and  if  there  is  no  straw  under  them,  ^gently 
raise  them  and  place  straw  under.  You  will 
save  lots  of  big  berries  by  so  doing.  The 
big  berries  are  too"delbwo«^a,|3^^|pUe4  te,, 
reglect.  '    '  "         "     ;|^j|jj^^^ 

If  a  berry  touches  the  gi'ound  it  will  be 
spoiled. 

You  will  also  find  you  have  assistants  in 
]  icking  the  fruit.  Frequently  you  w^ill  find 
V  berry  that  has  had  a  gap  eaten  into  it. 
f^licvdng  tl  e  rich,  creamy  and  tempting  in- 
aide.  Some  v/ere  done  by  birds  and  others 
])y  insects,  but  the  loss  is  not  very  exten- 
sive. The  birds  and  insects  know  which  are 
ti  e  ripest  and  l)est  berries.  They  are  good 
judges  of  a  fine  strawberry. 


By  William  Boulton.  87. 

PREPARING  THE  SECOND  CROP. 

The  strawberry  fruit  season  being  over, 
and  a  very  pleasant  and  profitable  time  it 
has  been  for  over  three  weeks,  it  is  new 
time  to  prepare  the  bed  for  the  second  crop. 

The  first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  cut  off  all 
the  strawberry  plant  tops,  just  above  the 
crowns.  You  can  do  it  with  a  scythe  or 
a  hand  grass  cutter  or  sickle. 

When  it  is  possible  to  do  so,  you  let  the  cut 
off  tops  lay  on  the  ground  until  they  are  dry 
and  then,  when  there  is  a  brisk  wind  in  th<3 
nght  direction,  you  set  fire  to  them  and 
burn  them  up.  In  doing  so  you  destroy  a 
great  many  insects,  besides  laying  a  coat  of 
ashes  on  the  ground  and  destrojing  a  lot  of 
inibbish,  consisting  of  the  old  straw  mulch- 
ing and  the  cut  off  strawberry  tops. 

The  firing  must  be  done  v/hen  the  wind  is 
blov/ing  freshly,  so  that  the  fiam.es  can  pass 
quickly  over  the  berry  patch  and  thus  do  no 
damage  to  the  plants.  A  slow  fire  would  be 
apt  to  injure  the  crowns  of  the  plants. 

In  your  lot,  if  the  strawberry  patch  is 
close  to  the  house  or  any  building,  it  would 


t  8.  Strawberry  Culture. 


be  exceedingly  dangerous  to  fire  the  mulch 
and  dry  out  cut  off  plants,  so  you  will  have 
to  adopt  a  different  plan.  You  must  rake 
up  the  mulch  and  dry  plants  into  heaps  and 
then  remove  them  to  a  safe  place  to  burn, 
and  if  it  is  impossible  to  burn  them  safely, 
then  make  a  pile  of  them  and  let  them  rot. 
It  is  best  to  destroy  the  cut  off  plants,  be- 
cause if  the  leaves  are  infected,  the  burning 
v/ill  remove  all  danger  of  the  disease  spread- 
ing to  your  newly  set  out  plants  as  well  as 
the  old  ones. 

The  next  operation  is  to  dig  up  the  ground 
between  tlie  rcv/s  to  v/ithin  a  few  inches 
of  the  plants.  In  doing  so  you  will  cut  oft 
many  of  the  old  roots,  but  that  will  cause  no 
damage,  as  they  are  of  but  very  little  use. 

If  you  would  examine  the  roots  of  the  old 
I)lants,  you  would  see  that  they  are  black 
r.nd  wirey.  v/hile  those  of  new  plants  are 
w^hiteish. 

It  is  necessary  to  cover  the  crov/ns  to  cause 
the  old  plants  to  grow  new  runners.  - 

Now  take  a  rake  and  pull  the  dirt  from 
the  center  of  the  rows  and  cover  the  crowns 


By  Vvilliam  Boulton.  39. 

of  the  plants  about  an  inch  deep  with  dirt. 
The  object  of  covering  the  crowns  with  dirt 
is  to  make  the  crowns  throw  out  new  roots, 
and  it  is  the  only  way  it  can  be  done. 

Taking  the  dirt  from  the  center  of  the 
rows  will  leave  a  slight  hollow  in  the  center 
of  the  row.  It  gives  you  a  good  chance  to 
place  manure,  not  only  filling  the  depres- 
sion, but  furnishing  more  plant  food,  for  the 
the  rains  v/ill  leach  the  fertilizing  matter 
from  the  manure  and  send  it  to  the  roots  in 
available  shape  for  the  new  roots  to  feed 
on  and  thrive  luxurantly. 

All  you  have  to  do  now,  until  fall,  is  to 
cultivate  and  keep  the  v/eeds  down.  After 
the  plants  are  well  above  the  ground,  you 
must  thin  them  where  ever  necessary.  In 
thinning,  remove  the  weakest  plants.  When 
the  ground  is  frozen,  you  must  again  cover 
the  plants  with  strav/. 

o 0— — 0 

BEST  V/AY  FOR  A  SMALL  PATCH 
In  most  gardens  the  ground  is  limited  in 
size,  and  it  may  not  be  possible  for  you  to 


40.  Strawberry    Culture. 

spare  tliree  tracts  for  the  use  of  the  straw- 
ben  y  plants.  In  that  case,  do  not  try  to 
raise  a  second  crop,  but  destroy  the  plants 
i^s  soon  as  the  first  crop  of  strawberries  are 
gathered. 

Of  course  you  will  plant  a  new  bed  each 
:  ear,  and  you  will  thus  have  two  beds,  one 
merely  of  new  plants,  from  which  the  buds 
I  re  to  be  removed,  rnd  the  other  patch  will 
be  your  one  year  old  fruit  bearing  bed. 

With  the  one  crop  system  of  strawberry 
culture,  you  do  not  have  to  go  to  the  labor  of 
iovering  the  crowns,  or  covering  the  plants 
with  straw,  and  there  is  no  danger  from  the 
vrinter,  besides  the  second  crop  of  berries 
is  not  so  large  or  as  fine  as  the  first  one. 

o 0 0 

NO    THREE    CROPS. 

No  attempt  should  be  made  to  raise  three 
crops  successively  from  the  same  strawberry 
bed.  After  the  second  crop  has  been  picked 
dig  or  plow  under  the  plants. 

Strawberry  plants  have  not  vigor  enough 
to  grcv/  three  large  crops  of  fine  berries. 


By  William  Boulton.  41. 


The  cne  ye^r  Fystem  of  strawberry  plar  t 
( ulture  would  not  do  for  field  culture,  as  the 
expense  of  setting"  out  new  plants,  for  or.o 
year's  fruiting*,  on  an  acre  or  more,  would 
be  too  great  to  be  profitable,  and  conse- 
(juently,  if  engaged  in  strawberry  culture, 
on  a  larg-e  scale,  a  second  crop  must  be  ob- 
tained, for  financial  reasons  only. 

0 0 o 

MISCELLANEOUS    MATTERS. 

It  will  sometimes  occur  that  you  have  not 
been  able  to  get  your  ground  ready  at  the 
time  your  plants  arrived  from  the  nursery , 
owing  to  rains  or  a  delayed  and  unexpected 
addition  of  winter.  In  that  case  you  must 
heel  the  plants. 

Heeling  the  plants  consists  in  digging  a 
"V  shaped  trench,  the  depth  of  which  is 
about  eight  inches.  Then  take  the  plants 
that  cam^e  from  the  nursery,  remove  them 
from  the  package  and  lay  them  along  one 
side  of  the  trench,  being  very  careful  to  see 
that  the  roots  of  every  plant  lays  against 
the  dirt  and  are  straightened  out.    Thei 


42.  Strawberry    Culture. 

bring  the  dirt  back  again  so  that  the  roots 
are  covered  and  only  the  crowns  and  leaves 
show  above  the  ground.  Press  the  dirt 
firmly  against  the  roots. 

The  plants  can  remain  in  the  trench  for 
several  days  without  injury. 

If  you  have  a  propagating  bed,  you  do  not 
need  to  heel  the  plants,  as  you  can  dig  them 
up  when  they  are  wanted. 

There  is  one  thing  you  must  not  forget. 
The  plants  should  be  set  in  the  ground  be- 
fore they  have  begun  to  get  a  vigorous 
growth.  They  should  be  planted  while 
somewhat  dormant,  because  if  they  get  well 
r.dvanced  and  are  then  dug  up,  it  will  cause 
a  delay  in  growing  when  set  in  their  nev/ 
l^ed,  as  seme  of  their  rescurces  will  have 
Ix^en  expended  in  unnecessary  growth.  By 
planting  them  while  they  are  dormant,  you 
get  the  entire  strength  of  the  pknt.  The 
plants  you  dig  up  will,  of  course,  show  one 
or  more  leaves,  but  not  very  large. 

Do  not  set  out  a  plant  in  your  new  bed 
ui.less  it  has  one  healchy  looking  nev/  leaf, 
'.■  brow  r.vvay  those  that  shovr  no  life. 


By  William  Boaltx>n.  43. 


A  good  healthy  bearing  strawben-y  plaivt 
ought  to  produce  one  quart  of  strawberries 
each  season. 

To  cover  an  acre  of  strawberry  plants  will 
require  about  three  tons  of  straw. 
I  Senator  Dunlap  and  Pride  of  Michigan  are 
good  plants  to  use,  if  the  hill  system  is  fol- 
lowed.    They  are  vigorous  plants. 

An  acre  of  strawberry  plants  oiiglit  to 
bring  the  grower  from  $300  to  $500  worth 
of  fruit,  from  which  expenses  are  to  be 
deducted. 

A  wagon  load  of  manure  will  weigh  about 
one  ton,  if  there  is  much  straw  mixed  with 
it,  and  if  free  from  straw  it  will  weigh  one 
and  a  half  tons.  About  15  wagon  loads  of 
manure  are  required  to  properly  fertilize  an 
acre  of  strawberry  plants. 

There  are  two  other  systems  of  growing- 
strawberries,  besides  the  double  hedge  one. 
One  is  the  hill  plan,  and  the  other  is  the 
single  hedge  style. 

The  hill  system  consists  in  cutting  oif  all 
the  runners  that  the  mother  plant  throws 
out.    It  causes  the  m.other  plant  to  develop 


44.  Strawberry    Culture. 

a  large  plant  growth  and  an  increase  in  the 
number  of  crowns.  By  the  single  hedge 
row  system  you  will  get  large  berries,  but 
not  as  numerous  as  by  the  double  hedge  row 
plan, 

The  plants  to  set  fcr  the  single  hedge  row 
are  those  that  naturally  liave  a  large  foliage, 
such  as  the  Pride  of  Michigan,  Donan,  Dun- 
lap,  and  others. 

The  double  edge  system  is  the  best.  If 
one  plant  in  the  hill  or  single  hedge  row  is 
killed,  it  leaves  a  large  gap,  while  the  loss 
of  a  single  plant  in  the  double  edge  row  is 
hardly  noticed. 

The  single  rcw^  system  consists  in  allow- 
ing the  mother  plant  to  throw  out  only  two 
runners  and  one  is  set  on  each  side  of  the 
mother  plant,  about  six  inches  distant  and 
in  line,  so  that  the  entire  row  v/ould  be  but 
a  single  plant  wide. 

The  double  row  system,  when  rightfully 
com.pleted,  makes  three  separate  rows,  six 
inches  apart. 

WHITE  GRUBS.  One  of  the  most  dis- 
tructive  enemies  of  strawberry  plants,  is  the 


By  William  Boulton.  45. 


white  grub,  the  offspring  of  the  June  bug. 

The  destructive  pests  work  under  ground 
and  eat  all  the  roots  off  the  plant  and  then 
go  to  another  and  continue  their  work  of 
destruction. 

There  is  no  way  of  destroying  them  with 
poison,  as  they  can  not  be  reached. 

If  your  ground  is  infested  with  the  white 
grub,  do  not  set  strawberry  plants  in  it,  for 
to  do  so  would  be  merely  expending  your 
time  and  money  and  getting  no  reward  i  i 
the  shape  of  big,  juicy,  berries,  unless  yoii 
can  find  a  way  to  destroy  thenl. 

You  say  your  garden  is  infested  with  the 
white  grub$jj.  and  yet  you  are  determined  to 
have  a  strawberry  patch.  You  wonder  if 
there  is  not  some  way  to  free  the  ground  of 
most  of  the  pests  so  that  the  damage  done 
by  those  left  will  not  be  extensive. 

There  is  one  way  to  rid  your  patch  of  most 
of  the  v.'hite  grubs,  but  it  requires  a  great 
deal  of  labor. 

The  white  grubs  were  introduced  into  your 
garden  with  that  old  manure  you  placed  on 
it  £om3  time  ago.     The  June  bug  prefers  an 


46.  Strawberry    Culture. 

old  manure  heap  as  the  best  place  it  can 
find  to  deposit  its  eggs  and  breed  its  young. 

In  the  fall  you  dig  up  the  ground,  you  in- 
tend to  ^et  strawberry  plants  in  the  follow- 
ing spring. 

The  proper  \vay  to  dig  is  to  sink  the  shovel 
or  spade  into  the  ground  as  far  as  the  depth 
of  the  blade  and  as  straight  down  as  you 
can  conveniently.  Then,  use  the  handle  as 
a  lever  to  break  the  ground,  raise  the  dirt 
about  a  foot  and  let  it  fall  as  you  turn  the 
blade  of  the  shovel  over. 

The  dirt  falls  several  inches  and  the  fall 
canses  it  to  break  into  fine  pieces,  and  that 
is  what  you  principally  dig  for;  to  make  the 
soil  loose  and  mellow. 

Watch  carefully  when  the  dirt  scatters, 
and  if  there  is  a  white  grub  in  it  you  will 
see  it  and  of  course  kill  it. 

In  digging,  leave  an  open  space  in  front. 
Do  not  fill  up  the  hole  just  made  by  dropping 
the  dirt  back  into  it.  When  you  have  dug  a 
row,  there  will  be  a  sort  of  ditch  in  front  of 
you  and  that  you  will  fill  with  dirt  from  the 
next  digging.     It  leaves  a  placo  to  push  i  n 


By  William  Boulton.  47. 

the  leaves,  etc.,  which  lies  on  the  ground. 

If  you  have  any  hens,  turn  them  into  the 
garden  and  they  v/ill  get  some  of  the  grubs 
that  escaped  you.  The  frosts,  that  will  soon 
come  after  the  digging,  v/ill  also  help  you  to 
lesson  the  number  of  your  enemies. 

Give  the  patch  another  digging  in  the 
spring  and  watch  every  shovel  full  of  dirt 
as  it  falls  to  the  ground  for  any  white  grub 
that  escaped  the  former  search. 

After  the  plants  are  well  grown,  you  may 
notice  one  that  does  not  have  an  healthy  ap- 
pearance, and  if  you  take  hold  of  the  foliage 
and  pull  slightly,  you  will  raise  the  plant 
from  the  ground.  Look  at  it  and  you  will 
find  the  roots  have  been  all  eaten  off.  Dig 
down  in  the  ground,  where  the  plant  was, 
and  you  will  find  a  big  v/hite  grub.  Kill  it, 
or  it  will  travel  to  another  plant  and  continue 
the  vvork  of  destruction  of  your  pet  plants. 

PLANT  ENEMIES.  Rust  and  blight  are 
also  enemies  of  the  strawberry  plant.  The 
first  symptoms  of  the  disease  are  small  browni 
spots  on  the  leaves.  The  plants  can  be  safe- 
ly protected  from  blight  by  spraying  with 


48.  Strawberry    Culture. 


the  bordeaux  mixture.  It  sliould  be  applied 
l/efore  the  plants  are  infested  with  blight^ 
as  it  does  not  cure  but  merely  prevents. 

Spraying  wnth  the  bordeaux  covers  the 
leaves  with  a  thin  coating  of  chemicals  and 
thus  prevents  blight.  The  best  is  known  as 
the  4-4-40,  and  consists  of  four  pounds  of 
copper  sulfate,  four  pounds  of  lime,  and  40 
gallons  of  water. 

The  curling  up  of  the  leaves  indicates  an 
attack  of  mildew\  Lack  of  moisture  will 
also  cause  the  leaves  to  curl. 

The  leaf  roller  is  an  insect  that  rolk  the 
leaves  about  it  so  as  to  make  a  shelter  for 
it  to  hatch  its  offspring.  It  can  be  prevent- 
ed by  spraying  with  kerosene  mixture,  if  it 
is  done  before  the  leaves  are  curled. 

One  of  the  best  cures  for  blight  and  other 
diseases,  is  to  remove  the  old  leaves,  after 
the  fruiting  season  is  over,  and  burn  them,. 

o 0 0 

SPRAYING  MIXTURES. 

Leaf  chewing  insects  can  be  kept  off  tho 


By  William  Boulton.  49. 

strawberry  plants  by  a  spraying  mixture  of 
paris  green  or  arsenate  of  lead. 

Arsenate  of  lead  is  the  best,  as  it  is  not  so 
liable  to  burn  the  foliage.  To  prepare  it  for 
the  plants,  take  two  and  a  half  pounds  of 
arsenate  of  lead  and  dissolve  it  in  three  gal- 
lons of  hot  water;  stir  until  it  assumes  a 
creamy  appearance  and  then  add  sufficient 
water  to  make  50  gallons.  Smaller  amounts 
can  be  made  by  using  less  arsenate  of  lead. 

To  make  the  paris  green  mixture,  take 
eight  ounces  of  paris  £:reen  and  two  pounds 
of  lump  lime.  Now  add  two  gallons  of  hot 
water.  ICcxpstirrirg  the  mixture  to  pi-e- 
vent  burning,  and  when  cool,  add  sufficient 
water  to  make  40  gallons. 

Bordeaux  mixture  is  made  by  putting  four 
pounds  of  blue  vitriol  in  a  coarse  sack  and 
cmersing  it  in  a  barrel  in  which  there  are  20 
gallons  of  vvaler.  The  sack  is  suspended  in 
the  barrel  eo  that  the  bottom  of  the  sack 
will  just  set  in  the  water.  Then  pour  three 
gallons  of  hot  water  over  four  pounds  of 
lump  lime.  Stir  to  prevent  burning,  and 
when  thoroughly  slacked,  add  enough  water 


50.  Strawlerry    Culture. 


to  ir:  ke  twenty  gallons.  When  cocl,  mix 
with  the  blue  vitriol,  by  pouring,  the  two 
mixtures  into  a  third  barrel  at  the  san:e 
tim.e. 

The  bordeaux  mixture  is  not  a  cure,  but  a 
preventive.  It  covers  the  leaves  so  that 
they  are  copper  plated,  and  thus  prevents 
blight  from  damaging  the  leaves. 

You  must  not  spray  your  strawberry  plants 
when  they  are  in  bloom  or  in  fruit.  Poison 
is  a  dangerous  article  to  put  on  blossoms  and 
fruit.     Spray  before  the  blossoms  come. 

o 0 o 

ROOTS  and  PLANTS. 

Your  labor  amcng  the  strav/berry  plants, 
so  far,  has  taught  you  that  there  must  be 
both  a  good  root  s:y-stem  and  a  good  foliage. 
Both  are  necessary  to  make  a  perfect  plant 
that  is  capable  of  producing  a  big  crop  of 
juicy  berries. 

The  intensive  cultivation  and  rich  fertili- 
zation of  the  ground,  has  put  the  soil  into  a 
nrst  class  condition  for  the  roots  to  thrive, 
and  caused  nature's  chen:ical  c gents  to  take 


By  William  Boulton.  51. 


vigorous  action  in  making  proper  plant  foo  1 
for  the  plants,  and  the  ground  is  so  mellow 
that  the  roots  can  easily  force  their  way 
into  it.  You  have  watched  the  foliage  very 
closely  and  sprayed  them  when  necessary, 
and  the  result 's  strong  and  healthy  plants. 

The  way  the  roots  and  foliage  are  depen- 
dent on  each  other  can  be  learned  from  the 
following  description  of  the  way  each  per- 
forms its  allotted  and  necessary  task: 

A  healthy  plant  must  have  vigorous  and 
healthy  roots,  and  the  roots  have  various 
necessary  tasks  to  perform.  They  act  ej& 
guys  or  anchors  to  prevent  the  plant  from 
falling  to  the  ground,  or  being  blown  away 
by  the  winds.  They  pump  up  water  from 
the  ground  and  give  the  plant  all  the  mois- 
ture it  requires,  if  such  is  within  reach  of  the 
little  rootlets.  They  collect  the  right  kind 
of  food  out  of  the  earth  and  convey  it  to  the 
plant  for  its  support. 

It  is  therefore  necessary  that  the  roots  be 
in  gool  working  condition  to  do  their  work 
properly.  The  plant  can  not  get  along  with- 
out water  and  ground  food,  and  it  depends 


52.  Strawberry    Culture. 


to  a  great  extent  upon  the  roots  doing-  that 
absolutely  necessary  work. 

It  must  be  evident  to  you  that,  in  order 
to  have  the  roots  able  to  properly  supply  the 
plant  with  food  and  water,  their  surround- 
ings must  be  all  right. 

The  soil  must  have  sufficient  moisture;  it 
must  have  plenty  of  plant  food,  and  that 
food  must  be  in  shape  so  that  the  plant  can 
digest  it  and  thrive;  it  must  have  a  soil  that 
is  firm  enough  to  hold  the  roots  so  they  can 
anchor  the  plant,  and  the  soil  must  be  mel- 
low enough  to  permit  the  little  roots  to 
easily  spread  through  it. 

That  condition  you  have  attained  by  dig- 
ging and  cultivating  the  land  to  make  it 
mellow;  by  putting  on  plenty  of  barnyard 
inanure,  and  getting  it  well  mixed  with  the 
ground;  by  loosening  the  ground  sufficient 
to  permit  plenty  of  air  to  enter  and  set  the 
chemical  agents  of  nature  to  work  to  make 
the  raw  manure  into  available  plant  food; 
by  roiling  the  ground,  when  necessary;  by 
making  a  dust  mulch,  so  as  to  prevent  ca- 
pilliary  attraction  from  wasting  your  supply 


By  William  Boulton.  53. 

of  water.  The  conditions  you  made  are  just 
right  for  the  little  roots  to  spread  about  the 
g-round  and  do  their  assig"ned  work  properly. 

A  plant,  to  be  thrifty,  must  also  have  a 
good  and  healthy  foliage.  If  the  leaves  aro 
withered  with  rust  or  other  leaf  diseases, 
or  are  badly  mutiliated  by  chewing  insects, 
they  are  not  able  to  do  their  allotted  work, 
and  the  result  is  a  stunted  or  dead  plant. 

Both  roots  and  leaves  must  be  in  good 
condition  to  make  a  healthy  and  thriving 
plant.  They  work  in  conjunction  in  the 
follov/ing  manner: 

The  roots  spread  all  around  the  plant 
under  the  ground.  Their  number  is  large, 
and  the  parts  that  collect  the  required  plant 
food  and  m.oisture,  are  at  the  ends  of  the 
roots. 

Now,  if  the  barn  yard  manure,  you  put 
in  the  ground,  is  lumped  in  piles,  it  is  of  very 
little  use  to  the  plants,  for  in  its  original 
shape  it  is  not  available  for  the  little  root- 
lets to  feed  upon.  If  it  is  available  and  is 
not  well  scattered,  only  a  few  roots  could 
feed  upon  it,  while  the  many  others  would 


54.  Strawberry    Culture. 


starve,  resulting  in  the  plant  being  insuffi- 
ciently fed.  It  is  therefore  absolutely  nec- 
essary that  the  manure  and  fertilizer  must 
be  well  mixed  with^the  soil,  so  that  all  the 
roots  can  reach  it. 

When  well  mixed  with  the  soil  the  manure 
is  soon  rotted  and  the  chemical  agents  of 
nature  then  changes  the  unavailable  fertili- 
zers into  available  food. 

Mr.  Kellogg,  who  was  a  great  authority 
on  strawberry  culture,  said  that  raw  manure 
was  poison  to  the  strawberry  roots. 

If  you  were  to  come  home  v/earied  and 
feeling  that  a  dainty  article  of  food  would 
tend  to  make  the  world  look  brighter,  and 
w'hen  you  had  sat  down  to  supper  and  the 
cook  would  set  before  you  a  big  dish  of  dry 
flour,  do  you  think  you  could  enjoy  it?  You 
could  not  eat  it,  for  it  v/ould  not  be  in  avail- 
able shape  for  a  human  being.  But  let  the 
cock  take  that  flour  and  mix  it  with  some 
water,  butter,  salt  and  other  ingredients,  and 
then  roll  the  dough  into  the  proper  shape 
r.nd  put  it  into  a  hot  oven  and  let  the  heat 
perform  its  chemical  operation  of  changing 


By  William  Boulton.  55, 

its  composition,  and  then  let  the  cook  place 
in  it  a  lot  of  fine,  juicy  strawberries,  with 
plenty  of  sugar,  and  then  the  flour  would  be 
in  an  available  shape--that  of  a  delicious 
strawberry  short  cake.  How  you  would  en- 
joy it. 

It  is  the  same  with  the  raw  fertilizer. 
The  plant  can  not  feed  upon  it  and  thrive 
until  it  has  changed  its  form  and  become 
available. 

That  teaches  you  hov/  necessary  it  is  that 
the  soil  must  be  well  tilled,  well  w^atered, 
and  have  plenty  of  plant  food  well  mixed 
with  the  soil,  and  also  have  sufficient  heat 
and  air  to  set  the  chemical  agents  of  nature 
to  work. 

The  water,  mixed  v/ith  dissolved  plant 
food,  is  pumped  up  by  the  roots  to  the  leaves 
and  that  shows  very  plainly  to  yoi  th  it  the 
plant  food  has  to  be  in  perfect  condition,  so 
that  the  water  in  th3  soil  can  dissolve  it. 
It  also  shov/s  plainly  the  necessity  of  having 
sufficient  water  to  d  )  the  work. 

On  the  under  side  of  the  leaves  there  are 
hundreds  of  minute  holes,  known  as  pores. 


56.  Strawberry    Culture. 

They  serve  as  breathing  places  and  emit  all 
the  water  sent  up  by  the  roots  that  is  not 
needed  by  the  plants. 

Experts,  who  have  made  a  study  of  the 
plants,  state  that  the  amount  of  water  pump- 
ed up  by  a  plant,  during*  its  life  time,  will 
weigh  from  300  to  500  times  the  weight  of 
the  plant  when  dry,  and  that  a  strawberry 
contains  97  per  cent  of  water. 

It  shows  the  reason  why  it  is  absolutely 
necessary  to  preserve  the  water  supply  by 
dust  mulching, 

The  leaves  have  the  power  of  drawing 
carbonic  acid  gas  from  the  atmosphere. 
That  gas  is  composed  of  carbon  and  oxygen. 
The  two  gasses  are  then  separated  and  the 
oxygen  released  and  sent  back  into  the  at- 
mosphere, while  the  carbon  unites  with  the 
water  and  plant  food,  that  Vvas  pumped  up 
by  the  roots,  and  forms  into  starch.  The 
starch  is  then  changed  into  sugar  and  car- 
ried throughout  the  plant,  and  again  be- 
comes starch  and  feeds  the  plant. 

Eeat  and  light  are  therefore  necessary  to 
enable  the  plant  to  do  the  work  just  describ- 


By  William  BouHon.  57. 

ed,  and  it  is  therefore  very  evident  that  the 
l^round  should  have  sufficient  heat  and  the 
leaves  should  have  plenty  of  sunlight,  other- 
wise they  v/ill  not  be  able  to  perform  their 
work  properly. 

It  is  necessary,  therefore,  that  the  straw- 
berry plants  should  not  be  close  together,  so 
as  to  exclude  the  sun  light  from  a  large  part 
of  the  leaves,  in  addition  to  the  fact  that  the 
roots  must  have  sufficient  feeding  ground  in 
order  to  obtain  sufficient  nurishment. 

o 0 0 

IMPORTANT  RULES. 
You  must  impress  on  your  mind  so  strong- 
ly, that  you  will  not  forget,  the  following 
rules,  if  you  desire  to  have  success  in  grow- 
ing big  juicy,  strawberries  and  plenty  of 
them: 

1.  You  must  have  good,  healthy  plants, 
produced  by  a  mother  that  has  not  bom 
fruit  and  from  Vv'hich  the  buds  have  been 
picked. 

2.  Your  ground  must  be  well  cul  A  vated, 
so  that  it  is  mellow  and  well  aired. 


58.  StrawbeiTy    Culture. 


^  3.  The  ground  must  have  plenty  of  air, 
to  cause  the  chemical  agents  of  nature  to 
work  vigorously,  but  it  must  not  \:e  so  loose 
so  as  to  let  capilliary  attraction  waste  the 
stored  up  water. 

4.  There  must  be  plenty  of  barnyard 
manure  in  the  ground,  and  it  m.ust  be  well 
mixed  with  the  soil,  so  it  will  decay  easily 
and  be  in  reach  of  all  the  little  rootlets. 

5.  The  plants  must  be  trimm.ed  and  set 
in  the  ground  so  the  crown  is  just  above  the 
surface. 

6.  The  buds  must  te  removed  from  the 
new  plants,  so  all  the  strength  of  the  plant 
v/ill  be  used  in  the  building  up  of  foliage  and 
roots. 

7.  A  dust  mulch  must  be  made  by  culti- 
vating with  a  cultivator  or  rake,  so  as  to 
preserve  the  water  supply  and  to  prevent 
loss  of  water  by  evaporation. 

8.  Only  four  runners  must  be  allowed  to 
each  mother  plant,  set  in  double  hedge  row, 
and  all  the  other  runners  cut  off. 

9.  The  ground  m.ust  be  covered  with 
I'travr',  both  to  act  as  a  mulch,  to  keep  down 


By  William  Boulton.  59. 


the  weeds,  and  to  keep  the  strawberries 
clear  of  dirt. 

10.  After  the  fruit  has  all  been  picked 
off  the  plants,  the  tops  must  be  cut  off  and 
burned  or  removed  from  the  patch. 

11.  The  ground  must  be  kept  clear  of 
weeds,  because  they  use  up  the  plant  food,* 
pump  up  the  water  and  shade  the  straw- 
berry plants. 

12.  After  mowing  off  the  old  strawberry 
leaves,  the  ground,  between  the  rows,  must 
be  loosened,  to  m.ake  it  easy  for  the  new 
roots  to  force  their  way  through,  and  the 
crowns  must  be  covered  with  dirt  to  the 
depth  of  about  an  inch,  so  that  new  roots 
can  shoot  out.  The  plants  must  also  have  a 
straw  blanket  for  a  winter  covering. 

o 0 0 

FIELD    CULTURE. 

The  growing  of  strawberries,  en  a  large 
scale,  by  the  acre,  is  the  sam.e  as  for  the 
garden  patch,  with  some  exceptions. 

Tlie  rov7S  are  placed  four  feet  apart  and 
the  plants  are  set  in  the  rcw^s  20  inches  from 


CO,  Strawberry    Culture. 


each  other.  Horse  cultivation  will  be  need- 
ed, as  it  could  not  be  done  profitably  with  a 
wheel  hoe  or  hand  hoe. 

The  rows  are  made  wider  to  allow  a  horse 
cultivator  to  be  used. 

Of  course  a  person  can  not  enrich  acres 
of  strawberries  the  same  as  can  be  done  with 
a  small  garden  patch,  for  the  reason  that 
sufficient  stable  manure  can  not  always  be 
obtained. 

But  whether  on  a  large  scale  or  sm.all  one, 
the  gi'ound  must  be  vvell  cultivated,  good 
plants  used,  vreeds  kept  down,  straw  mulch- 
ing spread  on  the  ground,  and  the  soil  sur- 
face kept  loose,  so  as  to  prevent  a  waste  of 
moisture  by  needless  evaporation. 

Some  plants,  that  thrive  on  a  soil  that  has 
considerable  clay  in  it,  would  not  be  a  suc- 
cess on  a  sandy  soil,  the  Gandy  for  instance. 

Some  bi-sectials  have  an  abundance  of 
polen,  while  other  bi-sectials  are  very  defi- 
cient. In  experimenting  with  new  kinds  of 
strav/berry  plants,  you  miustkeep  tliese  facts 
in  mind. 

Tne  catalogues  of  reputable  growers  of 


By  William  Eoulton.  61. 


strawberry  plants,  will  give  you  rll  the  ir- 
forrration  you  rxeed,  in  regard  to  fruit,  size, 
color  of  berry,  kind  cf  soil,  polen  supply, 
and  many  other  things  you  will  find  necess- 
ary to  know,  if  your  ideal  is  to  be  achieve  h 

If  you  should  sell  any  berries,  give  yoi  r 
customers  good,  honest  measure,  and  do  not 
put  a  lot  of  inferior  berries  in  the  Lottcm  cf 
the  boxes,  and  cap  off  with  large  and  fine 
fruit.  If  you  promise  a  custom.er  a  quart  of 
first  class  berries,  fulfill  your  promise.  It 
pays  to  be  honest. 

After  you  have  set  cut  all  your  £lrav:- 
berry  plants,  you  should  drive  a  stake  at 
the  commencement  of  each  r^v/  and  paint 
the  name  of  the  plants  on  it.  You  will  fird 
it  very  convenient  the  next  season  in  desig- 
nating where  the  different  kirds  of  plants, 
you  set  out,  are  located.  The  memory  is 
sometimes  confusing  and  gives  yoi  va-ong 
information  in  regard  to  the  kind  of  straw- 
berry plants  in  the  various  rows.  A  glance 
at  the  s'gn  poit,  at  the  head  cf  each  row, 
tells  yju,  without  delay  cr  mistake,  whet 
kind  is  in  that  row. 


62.  Strav/berry    Culture. 

Do  not  put  strawberries  in  a  tight  box  of 
pail,  unless  they  are  for  immediate  use. 

If  the  berries  are  left  all  night  in  such  re- 
ceptacles, in  a  warm  close  room,  they  wouUl 
be  somewhat  musty  in  the  morning. 

If  you  want  to  keep  strawberries  a  day  or 
two,  place  them  in  baskets,  through  which 
the  air  can  pass,  and  set  them  in  a  cool  place  i 
where  the  air  is  fresh.  ' 

To  get  ihe  full  benefit  of  the  strawberry,  j 
it  should  be  eaten  the  same  day  it  is  picked.  ! 

During  a  dry  season  it  may  be  necessary  ; 
to  water  the  plants,  especially  at  the  time  '■ 
they  are  learirg  fruit,  tcciiuse  a  plant  with  ; 
30  or  50  berries  on  it  needs  plenty  of  water.  ■ 

One  good  way  to  supply  the  moisture  is  i 
to  dig  a  httle  trench  in  the  middle  of  thf.. 
1^0 ws  and  run  the  water  from  the  higher  '^ 
part.     It  will  then  soak  through  the  grounv  '" 
to  the  strav/ berry  plant  roots  and   carry 
])lant  food  with  it.  ' 

For  the  little  garden  patch  use  a  watering  i 
can,  v;ithcut  the  sprinkler,  and  pour  the  ^ 
water  on  the  mulching  in  the  middle  of  the  : 
rows.  ' 


